Transportable fishfinder for all seasons

[Peccavi18]

Looking for a new fishfinder for all seasons. I currently have a Showdown 5.6 for ice and Lowrance 4 and old old Garmin units spread on my open water toys. Was gonna get an Lx7 and get a new finder or 2 for the boats but thinking why have multiple units and not just one all around unit.
Wanting one gps fish finder to easily go between the shanty, kayaks, bass boat, and pontoon. I fish for ALL species, in fresh and occasionally salt water. Panoptix and Livescope seem like viable options but what else is out there that I should be looking at. Looking to spend around $2500 for this unit.
I know I will have to have a box or bag that holds it all, quick attach transducer mounts, and run lithium batteries for whatever unit I get but any other issues you can think of?

[claymore6]

I have a hummingbird 345c (portable) that I use on my kayak and for ice fishing. It has a ice fishing mode built in and all I had to do was purchase the separate ice fishing transponder.  It has lots of views and a zoom feature for watching your lure as well as the fish. Not too heavy, but with a screen that is big enough and you can still see in bright sunlight. Easy to find reviews, etc. on the web.

[gola yona]

Deeper Pro+ theres some trial and error and a little learning curve just like any new piece of tech. But if you only fish for a few hours on the ice, instead of all day its the way to go. Keeps me very mobile. You need an extra phone or tablet. Tons of vids on YouTube. If that's not your cup of tea id say Vexilar.

[mboss13]

With your budget livescope is a no brainer. You can pick up the 93sv for $599 at Cabela's right now, so you can actually come under budget for the full setup

[Peccavi18]

Deeper is out, I do 6-14hr days on the ice usually.

I'll check out the hummingbird, does it have gps?

The livescope is speaking to me in a bad way, but I want to see what the comparables are before I pull the trigger. I hear Lowrance is releasing their version in April or May but haven't heard a price or seen any leaks of it's capabilities yet.

[bobberbill]

Humminbird Helix G2/G3 Chirp units are fabulous. And a lot less than the Pan.  You could buy several different ones with that budget.

[kayl]

With your budget livescope is a no brainer. You can pick up the 93sv for $599 at Cabela's right now, so you can actually come under budget for the full setup

This times 100. If you wait until the 15th you can get another $50 in bonus bucks for the 93sv.

[Peccavi18]

Do I have to have a Bass Pro/ Cabelas credit card for the bonus bucks?
Is the 93 worth it over the 73? Any difference in options? Not sure which will be better for me. Bigger seems better till trying to transport it or put it on a kayak, which is one of my preferred ways to fish.

[kayl]

Do I have to have a Bass Pro/ Cabelas credit card for the bonus bucks?
Is the 93 worth it over the 73? Any difference in options? Not sure which will be better for me. Bigger seems better till trying to transport it or put it on a kayak, which is one of my preferred ways to fish.

Based off the ad, I don't believe so.

I would recommend the 9". I had the Echomap CHIRP 73sv and sold it and upgraded to the Echomap Plus 93sv. I am thrilled with the bigger screen and touchscreen capabilities. I only have a kayak and am either using my fishfinder on the kayak or in a portable clam flasher bag either on the ice or on another boat. I haven't had the chance to use the 9" model on my kayak yet, but I don't see myself being disappointed with the bigger screen. The power consumption isn't that bad as long as you keep the wifi turned off. I got 8-10 hours of use out of a 10aH LiFePO4 battery with a good chunk of that time running my PS22 panoptix transducer, which is a power hog.

[Skywagon]

Humminbird Helix G2/G3 Chirp units are fabulous. And a lot less than the Pan.  You could buy several different ones with that budget.

The Humminbird units are nice units for what they are and Peccavi18 could buy several of those units for the same amount as the Livescope setup, but in the end he would have several units that do not come close to comparing with what one Livescope does, it is a whole different ball game.

Peccavi18, I think you would like the 9" over the 7" in order to take advantage of all the detail that Livescope provides.

[mboss13]

The livescope is speaking to me in a bad way, but I want to see what the comparables are before I pull the trigger. I hear Lowrance is releasing their version in April or May but haven't heard a price or seen any leaks of it's capabilities yet.

There is currently (go fishing today) nothing out there to compare to Livescope, thus comparing on price really doesn't serve it any justice.
It all points to a higher or comparable price point for the "comparable" unit from Lowrance that has not been released. Most likely the unit will require a high priced head unit, making that 93sv plus for $599 look like a bargain. Of course by that time the Garmin 9" unit will be back to its regular price of $1k. It really is an easy decision as you can get the 9" unit for less than the 7" right now. The difference between the last year model and this year model will be the ducer included, but who cares if you are using Livescope ducer anyway, right?

I have no doubt that all the major manufacturers will be releasing comparable units within the next year or two as the tech is no longer propitiatory and I bet there will be an ice bundle type livescope style unit out there for under $1000 within the next 2 years from one of the manufacturers out there......for now it is available as a diy only, but works flawlessly and performs as advertised. Can't imagine going back to traditional flasher or fishfinder.....the only thing it doesn't do is catch the fish for you!!!

[KRASHED]

With your budget livescope is a no brainer. You can pick up the 93sv for $599 at Cabela's right now, so you can actually come under budget for the full setup

x2 on the Deeper Pro Plus. I love this little thing. Especially for walking because it fits in my pocket and I can use it in all seasons. Battery life is anywhere from 4-6 hours depending on a few factors so I keep an extra usb charge bank in case I need to top it up, so far haven't had to do that.

The flasher mode was especially sensitive in shallow water (6') which I really enjoy when fishing for crappie or perch.

[Peccavi18]

I'll be pulling the trigger on the 93sv on Friday or Saturday. My truck is starting to have some issues, but I use it like a truck... Gonna go look at a couple newer ones this weekend so even if I have to wait for the livescope transducer I will have the savings on the base unit already.

Thanks everyone for helping me convince myself that it's the best transportable fishfinder. Can't wait to try it out!